Cow Cowson

"Gotta let the grapes grow, man"

[cow-cowson]

Notgeld of the week #52! (7/7/2026)

Jahrestag Haul!

In order to celebrate one year of Notgeld of the week, I've put together a recent haul with some very interesting and colourful notes!

First are these three 1 and 2 Mark notes from the town of Ennigerloh. The text on these are very hard to read, but what is clear is the large devil figure appearing on the first note. This series is also notable for being the last appearance of Ennigerloh's old coat of arms.

This 25 Pf. note from Krefeld carries the humorous inscription "so much paper for so little money!"

A nice vertical notgeld from the city of Celle

Several notes from the Altenburg from the Prinzenraub or "princeknapping" series, based off Kunz von Kauffungen's kidnapping of two princes of Saxony, which happened this very day back in 1455!

Several notes from Arnstadt

And finally, 2 Marks of "Jubiläumsgeld" or Jubilee money celebrating the 675th anniversary on the city of Dorsten. The reverse shows the medieval townspeople pouring honey and throwing bees onto the intruders below.

[cow-cowson]

Notgeld of the Week #51! (6/30/2026)

25 Pf. from the city of Stettin, modern day Szczecin, Poland!

This note has two references to two different literary works. The first, shown on the reverse, is the poet Robert Prutz. Whose portrait sits above an excerpt from the poem "An Dahlman", and translates to:

The bastion of freedom will be raised, The tower of justice shall stand, And above all, high from above, The banner of the law will wave!

The second reference is an odd overstamp on the obverse of the note, which reads "So knapp das Brot "Seefahrt ist Not" seemingly as a way to cancel the note by blocking out its validity clause. Translated, the stamp says "As the bread disapears, "seafaring is in need"", which takes the title from the 1913 book Seefarht ist Not!, about the life and times of several families who rely on the fishing industry to survive.

[cow-cowson]

Notgeld of the Week #50! (6/23/2026)

50 Pf. from Greiffenberg, modern day Gryfów Śląski, Poland!

This beautiful blue note has a humous inscription on its obverse, poking fun at the quality of money over the years:

"Golden Peace -- Silver Thalers , Iron War -- Paper Money"

[cow-cowson]

Notgeld of the Week #49! (6/16/2026)

25 Pf. from the city of Greiffenberg, modern day Gryfów Śląski, Poland!

The city takes its name from the mythical griffin which, according to legend, a nest of some were found while constructing the Greiffenstein castle. The griffin also appears on the town's coat of arms, pictured on the obverse.

The reverse shows the city counselors greeting King Frederick the Great in 1785 for the rebuilding of Greiffenberg. The legend beneath the image reads as "a royal decree: you need not thank me, for that is what I am here for".

[cow-cowson]

Notgeld of the Week #48! (6/9/2026)

A 25 Pf Kreigsnotgeld from the city of Göttingen!

In the center of the reverse is St. George above the coat of arms of, from left to right, Münden, Prussia(?), and Osterode, two neighboring cities to Göttingen.

[cow-cowson]

Notgeld of the Week #47! (6/2/2026)

Two one sided 10 and 25 Pf. notes from Goslar

The city of Goslar has a very strong history, even being honored as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, included is the Rammelsberg silver mine which was in continuous operation for over 1000 years. This silver mine allowed for Goslar to mint their own coinage during the 12th and 13th centuries.

[cow-cowson]

Notgeld of the Week #46! (5/26/2026)

10 Pf. from the city of Goslar in the Harz mountain range in central Germany!

This note echoes the famous Paderborn donkey by featuring the Dukatenmännchen (Little ducat man), in celebration of Goslar's 1000 year anniversary. Built in 1484, the Dukatenmännchen adorns the Kaiserworth Guildhall, a medieval cloth merchants' guild. The building was a trophy of the merchants' wealth and was adorned with guiding and statues of regal figures. The Dukatenmännchen shows a grizzly looking figure defecating gold coins, a rather unique motif of the building.

[cow-cowson]

Notgeld of the Week #45! (5/19/2026)

Another 10 Pf. from the city of Glogau (Głogów)!

The very complex reverse of this note shows the coat of arms of Glogau showing the Madonna, Silesian eagle, bull, raven, and G in the center, all symbols of Glogau or Silesia as a whole.

[cow-cowson]

Notgeld of the Week! (5/12/2026)

A low denomination 5 Pf. note from Glogau, modern day Głogów, Poland!

The reverse of this note shows the Andreas Gryphius Theatre, built in 1799, destroyed in 1945, and then rebuilt in 2019. The theater hosted many world rebound opera and ballet troupes performed there throughout the 19th century, including Franz List in 1843. But despite the Theatre's high-class reputation, reportedly the first floor was used as a meat market.

[cow-cowson]

Notgeld of the Week #43! (5/5/2026)

Another note from Gernrode! This time a 50 Pf. note.

This notgeld is dedicated to the Saint Cyriakus church in the city of Gernrode. The church, pictured on the obverse, was built in c. 960 and is an excellent example of Ottonian/pre-Romaneque architecture. In 1614 St. Cyriakus was transferred from a Catholic church to a protestant one, which the reverse inscriptions pay homage to. Oddly enough, the church's construction is slightly askew (like a rhombus), resulting in St. Cyriakus lacking any 90º angles.

[cow-cowson]

Notgeld of the Week #42! (4/28/2026)

25 Pf. from the city of Gernrode!

The reverse shows a view of the old town of Gernrode first built in the 16th century, with the hotel Stubenburg, also seen in on the obverse, looking over it. The hotel was originally a hunting lodge built by Prince Victor Friedrich of Anhalt-Bernburg in 1754. The obverse gives an homage to Gernrode's history as a health resort destination.

[cow-cowson]

Notgeld of the Week #41! (4/21/2026)

50 Pf. from the city of Calbe!

The images on the reverse of this notgeld series tell the tale of Calbe Roland statute, a statue of the knight Roland symbolizing a medieval town's independence. Roland was a knight who fought under Charlemagne in the 8th century who became a folk tale hero across Europe. Calbe's Roland statue dates back to the 1380's and was originally made out of wood, but it has since been rebuilt out of stone. In 1656, the original Calbe Roland was in need of replacement and a sculptor, Gottfried Gigas, was contracted. However, as the legends go, the statue had poor proportions, leading to the story depicted on this notgeld.

The poem on the reverse side of this notgeld reads:

"With knife, awl, pencil, and mallet, Head, body, and foot came forth to light—yet for the arms—pray, forgive me, gentlemen!—this frame is all too small."

[cow-cowson]

Notgeld of the Week #40! (4/14/2026).

25 Pf. from the city of Canth, now Kąty Wrocławskie in Poland!

The two buildings on the reverse skyline are the city hall (left) and the St. Peter and Paul church (right).

The mountain in between the two towers is the Owl Mountain range in southwestern Poland.

[cow-cowson]

Notgeld of the Week #39! (4/7/2026)

1 Mark from the village of Dalhausen, in the district of Höxter!

This note celebrates the St. Mary's church in the town and includes some of its inscriptions on the obverse. Other notes also depict the town's wicker craft industry.

[cow-cowson]

Notgeld of the Week #38! (3/31/2026)

Notgeld Haul Part 2:

This haul has some super interesting finds!

50 Pf. from the town of Tostedt. This gruesome reverse warns spies that "this is the place you can all go".

25 Pf. from the town of Bad Lippspringe, where the river Lippe has its source.

30 (2x 10 & 2x 5)Pf. note(s) from the town of Ballenstedt. This little notgeld is made to be split in to multiple smaller notes of two different denominations, very unusual. Part of the "Gnomes at Work" series.

3 Marks from the city of Thale am Harz. this note features a giant wild man, Thale has a long history with the occult and pagan legends, very popular on the city's many notes and coins.

75 Pf. from Berlin. Berlin printed a large series of notgeld remembering the old German colonies in Africa and the Pacific.

50 Pf. from the town of Rødding in Denmark. This rare bilingual note celebrates the reunification of Norther Schleswig with Denmark. Germany had controlled the area since 1864 after a war with Denmark.

Several colorful notes from Güstrow, in 75, 50, and 75 Pf. respectively. The reverse features, from top down: Güstrow palace, the Güstrow coat of arms, and the Güstrow town hall.

and finally, a 50 Pf. note from the city of Eickel. Featuring the Dorneburg Manor.

[twofielder]

Already pulled a coin in wikigacha!

[cow-cowson]

Here's my collection so far!

[cow-cowson]

Notgeld of the Week #37! (3/24/2026)

Notgeld Haul Part 1:

Another Crawdad note! 50 Hlr. from Münzbach in Austria

50 Hlr. from Nußdorf, Austria, only printed on one side :(

30 Hlr. from the town of Bad Gastein, Austria. Known for their many beautiful hotels.

50 Hl. from Schlägl, Austria. The town's name is one letter away from the German word for mallet Schlägel, and is pronounced the same! This name is reflected by the coat of arms.

50 Pf. from the city of Coblenz. Pictured on the reverse is the Basilica of St. Castor.

50 Hlr. from Heiligenberg, Austria, overprinted to extend its validity by a few months.

50 Pf. from the city of Lübeck, Germany. The obverse shows the Schiffergesellschaft (Sailor's association) building.

Part 2 will be out next week!